Washing machine



H. c. DOMAN. WASHING MACHINE. APPLIC'ATKON FILED FEB-16| 1920.

1,433,193. Patented Oct. 24,1921.

M INVENTOR .67 7720/2 @jO/ZZQ7W' Q E V 3 M EM Patented Got. 24, E222.

Ul llil td wir HERMAN G. DOMAN, OF OSHKOSH, WISCONSIN, ASSIGNOR, T0WASH-KOSH MANUFAC- TUBING COMPANY, OF OSHKOSH, WISCONSIN, A CORPORATIONOF NISCONSIN.

WASHING MACHINE.

Application filed February 16, 1920. Serial No. 358,834.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HERMAN/C. DOMAN, a citizen of the United States,residing at Oshkosh, in the county of l/Vinnebago and State ofWisconsin, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in WashingMachines, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to washing machines for operating upon clothes,fabrics, etc., and more particularly to machines of the type whereinthe'washing action is produced by the reciprocation of a vacuum cup,sometimes termed a pounder.

It has been my aim in this invention to effect certain improvements inthe driving mechanism by which rotary movements of a driving shaft areconverted into oscillatory and reciprocal movements of a pounder shaft.The invention consists in the features of construction and combinationsof parts which will fully hereinafter appear from the specification andclaims, and from the accompanying drawing in which is illustrated anembodiment of this invention in the manner following: 7

Figure 1 exhibits partly in plan and partly in section on line 1-1 ofFig. 2 a driving mechanism which may conveniently be positioned upon theupper side of a cabinet machine; 1

Fig. 2 is a sectional view taken on line 2-2 of Fig. 1, showing certainof the parts in elevation and others in section;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged detail in transverse section taken on line 33ofFig. 2;

Fig. 4: is an endview of the rod which controls the clutch; and v Fig. 5is a detail thereof in elevation.

The washing machine is preferably con tained within a cabinet having atop 14 provided with a hinged cover 62 which overlies a tank withinwhich is a vacuum cup mounted upon the lower end of a Work shaft 81. v i

i From a power source (not shown) means are provided for rotating ashaft 35 which extends above the cabinet within a framework whose baseismounted thereon, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2. This frame is formed toprovide a bearing 51 within which the upper end of the shaft 35 isjournaled, a beveled gear 52 being mounted upon its extremity in meshwith a second gear 53 that is shiftably mounted upon a stub shaft 54that is journaled within a bearing 55 formed on the frame 50. At theendof the shaft 54 which is opposite the gear 53 I have provided aclutch member 56 within which is a socket 57 of polygonal cross-sectionadapted to receive a clutch head 58 of similar formation which iscarried fast on a crank shaft 59 from which projects a crank arm 60. Thecrank shaft is suitably journaled within a framework 61 having a basethat is secured to the cover 62 which may be swung upwardly wheneverrequired to afford access to the interior of the tank. The purpose ofthe clutch members 56 and 58 is, therefore, to establish or disestablisha driving connection between the two shafts 54: and 59 according as itmay be desired to operate the washing mechanism or to open up thecentral cover to gain access to the tank within the cabinet.

In order that the socket member 56 may be moved into and out ofclutching relation with the head 58, use is made of a spline 65 that iskeyed within the shaft 54 and extended within the beveled gear 53 bywhich means the gear may drive the shaft, this connection, however,permitting the shaft to be shifted longitudinally within its bearingwithout affecting the gear 53. Such shifting movements, which in nowiseaffect the driving connection between the gears 52 and 53, may beaccomplished through the medium of a grooved collar 66 which is madefast to the shaft 54; a rod 67 on which is eccentrically mounted a pin68 that is disposed within the groove 69 of said collar;

and a bearing 70 in which said rod is journaled, the bearing beingformed on a guard 71 that is carried upon the framework 50.

This guard overlies the moving parts of the mechanism that are mountedon the cabinet top, and is preferably formed interiorly with a dependingweb 72 having a groove 73 adapted to receive a tongue 74- that upstandsfrom the top of the frame 50 in such a manner as to center the guardfixedly in place. A bolt 75 is entered through the guard to threadwithin a socket formed in the frame so as to lock the one part on theother. In order that the'rod 67 may be rotated to shift the stub shaft54 and thereby clutch or unclutch with the crank shaft 59, an operatinghandle 76 may be provided as shown. By some means as this, the rod isturned within its bearing 70 to effect through the medium of the pin 68and collar 66 a longitudinal shift of the shaft 54: toward or from thehead 58 so as to establish or disestablish clutching relation betweenthe shafts 54 and 59.

The means for converting rotary movements of the crank shaft 59 into acombined reciprocating and oscillating movement for the vacuum cup orpounder includes parts as follows: A suitable work shaft 81 is journaledwithin a bearing 82 formed in the base of the framework 61 near one endthereof, and carries at its lower end a vacuum cup or pounder ,(notshown). Extending upwardly from this base on opposite sides of the workshaft are two guide rods 83 on which is slidably mounted a cross head 84that carries a collar 85. This collar is so mounted in place as to havecapacity for turning, but may not move otherwise, and is adapted toreceive the upper end of the work shaft to which it is made fast as bymeans of an arm 86 that extends both through the collar and shaft andlaterally toward the crank arm 60. The end of this arm 86that isproximate to the crank arm 60 is formed to present in effect a ball 87that is received within a cylindrical aperture 88 located near theswinging end of the crank arm. According to this construction, rotarymovements of the shaft 59 produce through the driving connection betweenthe crank 60 and arm 86 a combined oscillatory and reciprocatingmovement of the work shaft 81 to operate the pounder in a very effectivemanner upon the clothes contained within the tank. The ball and socketconnection between the arm 86 and crank 60 is very advantageous in thatit may be cheaply made, and may be put together with a minimum ofeffort. A guard 89 may be arranged upon the swinging cover over theoperating parts thereon to safeguard against injury.

Manifestly the construction that I have shown and described may bemodified or altered within certain limits without sacrifice of theimproved features that are novel to this invention, and accordingly itshould be understood that the protection accorded under this patent isto include all such modified constructions as fall within the purview ofthe claims hereto appended.

I claim:

1. In combination with a Washing mechanism, operating means thereforincludin a shaft provided at one end with a beveled gear, a bearing inwhich said shaft is journaled, a second shaft having a beveled gear inmesh with the first for transmitting movements thereto, and a guardcovering said gears consisting of a member within which is a web, a.boss on the hearing, means on the web co-operating with means on theboss for centering the member in place, and a threaded device extendedthrough the member into the boss to lock theguard onto the bearing,substantially as described.

2. In combination with a washing mechanism, operating means therefor in-1 eluding two rota-table parts having a driving connection therebetween,a mounting for said parts, and a guard covering said. con nectionconsisting of a member adapted to be supported on the mountin means onthe member co-operating with other means on the mounting for centerinthe one relative to the other, and a threaded device for connecting themember fixedly to the mounting, substantially as described.

3. In a washing machine, the combination with a power shaft and washingmechanism of atransmission therebetween includ ing two shafts one ofwhich is shiftable toward the other to connect drivingly 'therewith,bearings for the shafts, a guard removably mounted on one bearing, androtatable means carried by the guard releasably engaged with theshiftable shaft and adapted to longitudinally move the same to therebycontrol its connection with the other shaft, substantially as described.

4:. In a washing machine, the combination with a power shaft and washingmechanism of a transmission therebetween including two shafts, meanscarried on the one shaft adapted to clutch with the other to establish adriving connection therebe'tween, bearings for said shafts, a guardremovably mounted on one bearing, and means rotatably carried by theguard releasably engaged with one shaft and adapted to control itsclutch connection with the other shaft, substantially as described.

5. In a washing machine, the combination with a power shaft and washingmecha nism of a transmission therebetween includ ing two shafts,bearings for the shafts, means carried on the one shaft adapted toclutch with the other to establish a driving connection therewith, aguard mounted on one bearing and providing in its structure anotherbearing, and means journaled in the guard bearing adapted to releasablycontrol the clutch connection between the two shafts, substantially asdescribed.

' 6. In a washing machine, the combination with a power shaft andwashing machanism of a transmission therebetween including two drivingshafts connected by beveled gears and a driven shaft having a clutchconnection with one of the driving shafts, bearings for the shafts, aguard removably mounted on one bearing adapted to overlie the beveledgears, means for centering the guard in place over the gears, androtatable means extending through the guard adapted to releasablycontrol the clutch connection with the driven shaft, said rotatablemeans being centered operatively with respect to its associatedmechanism when the guard is centered upon its bearing, substantially asdescribed.

7. In a washing machine, the combination with a washing mechanism of atransmission leading thereto including two gear connected shafts and adriven shaft having a releasable driving connection with one of theother shafts, bearings for the shafts, means for controlling thereleasable driving connection freely detachable therefrom, and a guardin Which the last named means is mounted detachably secured to one ofthe bearings and adapted to overlie the proximate gear connections,substantially as described.

8. In a washing machine, the combination with a Washing mechanism of atransmission leading thereto including two driving shafts having a fixedconnection therebetween, and a driven shaft having a releasable drivingconnection with one of the other shafts, a

guard overlying the fixed connection and removably mounted on themachine, and means mounted on the guard detachably engaging thereleasable driving connection and adapted to control the same, saidmeans being restored automatically to operative relation with thereleasable driving connection when the guard is mounted in place,substantially as described.

HERMAN C. DOMAN.

Witness EPHRAIM BANNING.

